


The Reading

by Bettybackintheday



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-04-29 11:57:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5126696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bettybackintheday/pseuds/Bettybackintheday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written as a treat for the be_compromised Trick or Treat ATTF. Can't believe it's so long, but it just kept writing itself. So, this is not so much a bite-sized portion, but a full-sized candy bar. I hope you make it to the end. It's pretty sappy, though, so prepare to brush afterward. ;) Happy Halloween!!</p>
<p>When Clint and Natasha are approached by a mysterious woman offering to do an Oracle card reading for them on Halloween night, things get spooky. Spooky accurate, that is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Reading

The bar was busy, but not aggravatingly so. Most folks were decked out in their Halloween finery and taking advantage of the trick-or-treat-themed drink specials. In a dark corner away from the revelry sat a couple in street clothes and engaged in comfortable conversation.

“Did you pay attention to Stark’s schedule? I need him to adjust the timers in the new arrows he designed,” explained Clint.

After a dramatic eye roll, Natasha answered him. “Seriously? Unless he’s talking directly to me, I try to tune him out. But I did run into Pepper this morning and she mentioned he was due back tomorrow morning.”

Clint nodded his head and took a sip of his beer.

Out of nowhere a woman appeared at their table. “Excuse me. I couldn’t help but notice that you’re the loveliest couple in this establishment and wondered if you’d like a reading.”

Both assassins looked at each other and wondered how this old woman was able to approach their table without either of them being aware. As they devoted all of their attention to her, they took in every detail. She was definitely in her mid- to late-sixties, gray hair, probably a touch of arthritis in her hands based on the swelling around her knuckles, favored her right leg, unarmed (except for a colorful deck of cards), and didn’t give off a dangerous vibe.

“Thank you for noticing, but we’re not a couple and we’ll pass on the reading,” said Clint decisively.

“Oh, but you are. The cards don’t lie, my dear. I already did a quick reading to make sure I wasn’t wasting my time or yours,” the old woman said simply.

“With all due respect, ma’am, I spent my formative years in the circus. I know how this con works. No thank you. There’s a bar full of people in the Halloween spirit. Might I suggest you try your luck with them,” replied Clint as he took another swig of his beer.

The woman smiled, turned to Natasha and asked, “What about you my child? Do you need convinced, as well?” The question was posed to Natasha in perfect Russian.

Natasha was rarely blindsided. The look on her face was foreign to Clint. She never looked surprised because she never was surprised. Clearly, she was not expecting that. He sure as hell wasn’t.

Slightly flustered, but still the Black Widow, Natasha pleaded her case in English. “Well, I suppose you could interpret us a couple, just not in the traditional sense that you may have assumed. So, I’ll have to side with my partn– um, my friend on this one. No reading. Thank you.” She was overly polite hoping to keep Clint from getting annoyed.

Switching back to English, the woman responded, “Please just humor an old woman. Life is far too short to deny such a powerful emotion like love. Let me show you what has been sitting right in front of you since a foreign alley many years ago.”

Clint had had enough. As he took a breath in preparation to exit the booth and escort the woman out of the bar, Natasha gently placed her hand on his arm. Instantly, he calmed and looked to her to find out how she wanted to proceed.

“You know what, tainstvennaya zhenshchina (mysterious woman), let’s see if you’re right. I will pick a card from you,” Natasha said quietly. She looked Clint deeply in the eyes to convey that she felt this was best course of action. He visibly relaxed and sat back in the booth.

With a relieved smile and no words, the woman shuffled the multi-colored deck. Without flourish or drama, she set it in the center of the table and nodded at Natasha to make her choice. “As you choose a card, think of a question,” the woman instructed. Natasha lifted the top third of the deck up with her left hand and picked the card from the bottom of that stack. She placed the card in front of her, face down.

The woman reached for the card and turned it over. She slid it to the center of the table next to the deck. “This is not a Tarot deck, it’s an Oracle deck. Only one card is required to answer your question,” the woman said. “The card you have chosen is ‘She Loves.’” 

Both Clint and Natasha rolled their eyes. “Of course it is,” snarked Clint.

“Ah, it doesn’t mean that literally,” the woman began and narrowed her eyes at Clint. She snarked right back to the archer, “If you truly knew about readings, you should know that, my dear.” She then flashed him a forgiving smile.

She turned her attention to Natasha. “This card speaks of forgiveness. Only with forgiveness can you truly embrace the love that patiently waits for you,” the woman explained sagely.

Natasha stared at the woman with a blank look. She showed no outward emotion, but Clint could tell she was uncomfortable. “You already know this, but others have acknowledged your past, know that much of it was out of your control and forgiven you. Now it’s up to you to forgive yourself.”

“Ok, lady,” hastily interrupted Clint. “Let’s see what you got. I’ll give you a shot at me.” He wanted desperately to move the focus off of his partner.

“Of course, young man. You know the drill,” she purred as she replaced the card and shuffled the deck. When she set the deck down, Clint picked it up and gave it a few shuffles of his own. He paused dramatically as he looked the woman directly in the eyes. He wanted to make a display of thinking of his question. Then he picked the card at the very top of the deck and flipped it over for everyone to see.

The woman nodded her head knowingly. “You picked 'Just for a Moment, Joy.' You seek the right timing. You always question if it’s the right time to not only let your guard down around your own heart, but also if it’s the right time to push against someone else’s fortress,” the woman said as stared right back at Clint.

He blinked and turned his attention to Natasha. She returned his confused look but also raised her eyebrows and gave a slight tilt to her head indicating mild amusement. They were broken out of their silent communication when a fight broke out between one of the many Harry Potters and a mime. As ‘Harry’ backed into their table, they lifted their drinks and noticed the Oracle cards were gone, as was the mysterious old woman. As soon as ‘Harry’ lunged at the mime, Natasha grabbed Clint’s hand and pulled him from his seat and kept walking right out of the front door.

She relished the cool autumn air hitting her face as she slowed her pace after a block. She still held tightly to Clint’s hand. She irrationally feared that if she let go of it he might disappear, too. Given the pressure she felt against her own hand, she wondered if he might be considering the same thing.

As they neared Stark Tower, Clint finally broke the silence. “What the hell just happened?” he asked into the air.

“All I can tell you for sure is that ‘Harry Potter’ most likely got his ass handed to him,” she stated matter-of-factly. 

Clint shook his head. “No, no, no. That’s obvious. Who was that woman and where did she go?”

Natasha didn’t offer an answer. She had none. Instead she asked her own question. “What did you ask before you pulled your card?”

This time she was met with silence for a few long seconds. “Do you really wanna know?” asked Clint cautiously. 

They dodged a few trick-or-treaters as she lead him to a bench and pulled him to sit next to her. She looked out over the crowd and quietly spoke. “Look, I’m the last one to believe in divine intervention. But… lately, since, ya know, the events surrounding the ‘Battle of New York,’ I’ve toyed with the idea of having a heart-to-heart with you.”

Clint snapped his head to look at her as she continued to stare ahead. She continued, “But, I can’t get beyond the red dripping from my ledger.”

She felt rustling next to her and turned to look at Clint for the first time since leaving the bar. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“Text me your question,” he said as he started typing on his cell phone.

She hesitated and considered buying time to devise a strategy. But as she watched Clint typing furiously on his phone, she felt she had to return his trust. This was it.

Within seconds, both phones chimed indicating a new text message. After reading each other's eyes and a brief nod, reminiscent of thousands of successful missions, they read their messages.

To: Barton / From: Romanoff  
How can I expect Clint to have feelings for me beyond that of a work partner knowing the evil I was before he saved me?

To: Nat / From: Barton  
How long do I have to wait until I can afford to open my heart to the possibility of Nat having feelings for me?

As they read the questions and considered the answers provided by the Oracle cards, a cool breeze began blowing leaves around their feet. Natasha grabbed for Clint’s hand again as she put her phone back in her pocket. “I don’t think you have to wait anymore,” she whispered.

With a crooked smile and goose bumps rising all over his body, Clint pulled Nat to her feet and wrapped a protective and warm arm around her. “Let’s have that heart to heart tonight,” he whispered back.

“Ok,” she said as she set a quick pace toward the tower. “But I really feel like we need to lock the doors and make sure that security system is fully functional. Been a long time since I’ve felt this spooked,” she admitted.

“Not gonna lie, Tash. I’m completely freaked out. About everything,” he stated. “Except this feels right, somehow. Right?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “It does.” She quickly added, “Still, let’s pick up the pace, Barton.”

“No argument here, Romanoff.”

The world’s foremost spies didn’t even notice that they breezed by the old woman on their way inside the tower. She didn’t mind. Her work there was done. It would seem to be a success, too. But she’d already asked the Oracle cards and knew the answer. She would have to make sure she could make it back to this realm early next year to witness the wedding.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick note to say that I know nothing about Tarot or Oracle cards. I found a little bit of information in a blog article: "Journey of Love Oracle Deck Review." Any misinterpretation is all mine. I offer my apologies to anyone who knows how to do a reading. This was all in fun and no disrespect was intended.


End file.
